by Brianna Crandall — May 23, 2014—Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), the green roof and wall industry association, recently announced a 10 percent growth rate for green roofs in North America for the year 2013 in its Annual Green Roof Industry Survey .
“We are pleased to see the continued expansion of the green roof market,” said GRHC founder and president Steven W. Peck, GRP. “The industry’s continued growth is fueled by the multiple public and private benefits green roofs bring, such as stormwater management, reducing the urban heat island, energy savings and green jobs. With supportive public policies like those in Washington DC, we will make progress toward achieving the industry goal of one billion square feet of green roofs installed by 2022.”
This chart shows the top 10 North American metro regions in 2013 for green roofs installed, with the DC region clearly leading the way.
(Click on image to enlarge)
The Washington DC Metropolitan Region saw the installation of 2,164,926 square feet of green roofs in 2013. Washington has adopted public policies and programs that support green roof investment, including rebates of $7-$15 per square foot per green roof installed, and credits that reduce stormwater fees. Public investment in green roofs yields multiple public cost saving benefits, notes GRHC.
“The fact that the District once again leads the nation in installation of green roofs is another example of how our government, private organizations and individual residents are working together to ensure that we are the most sustainable city in the nation,” said Mayor Vincent C. Gray. “Green roofs are part of the solution for capturing stormwater and cleaning up our local rivers, and I am proud of the work of everyone who has helped us achieve this honor once again.”
2013 Annual Green Roof Industry Survey – April 2014 is available from the GHRC Web site. The site also offers charts from the report of the growth of the North American green roof industry 2004-13 and the top 10 metro regions in 2013 for green roofs installed.
The Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) mission is to develop the green roof and wall industry across North America. For information on the organization’s Grey to Green: A Conference on the Economics of Green Infrastructure Focusing On Health, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, August 25-26, or CitiesAlive: 12th Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, November 12-15, visit online.
